Since 1984, MAC Cosmetics has had a perpetual hold on the Black community, delivering the tools and shade ranges we wanted.
Think: their annual VIVA Glam Ball—which invited full-glam guests like Mary J. Blige, Eve, Fantasia, Diana Ross, etc. Moreover, their backstage presence at fashion weeks over time, with supermodels Naomi Campbell and Iman, MAC has proven to be the makeup behind popular culture’s biggest beauty moments in history—including Lil’ Kim’s archival metallic lipstick.
Now, as we rejoice their fortieth anniversary within the midst of Fashion Week (where the brand might be sponsoring shows like Area, Kim Shui, and Luar), we glance back on the legacy they’ve built with Black women.
“I believe the brand, greater than ever, still sits in what made MAC unique from the start,” senior vp and general manager at MAC Aïda Moudachirou-Rebois tells ESSENCE. “Artistry, inclusivity, culture… it was the center of the brand to be sure that we could help people in our community that needed probably the most.”
Despite the noise and competition in an over-saturated industry, MAC has remained the loudest within the room—largely due to their ability to hearken to their community. Meaning internally, too.
For MAC makeup pro, Romero Jennings, being with the brand for nearly 30 years means being heard. “I feel like I helped to construct and sustain this brand for all those years,” he says. “Now, many brands would have claimed inclusion, but we had it from the start, which is why we had such an enormous Black and Brown following back within the day.”
Jennings recalls women from Harlem and the Bronx visiting MAC for Studio Fix Powder Foundation because no other brand had their shade. “Many individuals would say that it’s their first introduction to makeup because before that, you would need to mix or the colours weren’t right or it was too light,” Jennings says, like a powdered Grace Jones and Prince.
Meanwhile, the lip pencils developed originally we still use today (like Uche Natori’s favorite shade chestnut) next to lipsticks we miss like CD 96, have afforded Black women the representation we deserve.
Aside from products, nonetheless, MAC has built initiatives to support their teams and customers from inside. From attending the Black Beauty Roster to investing in funds, grants, and creating internal protected spaces, like Black At MAC and the MAC Movement, the brand’s foundation is rooted in not only culture but impact. “We don’t take a one size suits all approach since it’s sort of performative and checking a box,” Moudachirou-Rebois says. “[We’re] really continuing to be sure that we elevate the culture in all its nuances.”
With 22% of MAC customers identifying as Black (in comparison with an 8% average of US consumers in luxury beauty), the longer term of the brand is in our hands. “We don’t wish to see ourselves as a makeup brand, but as a culture brand,” she says. “Now we have a responsibility to this consumer to actually deliver on their needs.”
